Michelle

One of the most important things I learned about losing weight is that it didn’t magically change who I was or what was happening in my life. In fact, it made life a bit more complicated as I changed some behaviours.  Like getting up earlier in the morning to run and eat breakfast;  this was a shock to everyone around me because I always hated mornings and I never used to eat breakfast. These changes didn’t sit well with the daily routine my husband and I were used to, and it took him time get used to the new committed-to-my-plan me. There was even some tension and conflict that arose. If you’re thinking losing weight will make your life all better and you will suddenly have boundless joy and no more strife, you need to remove your rose coloured glasses and consider going to a counsellor. I did.

When I lost weight, I was the same person in a smaller, fitter package. I still had things I needed to “work on” in life, although at least now I had the energy to do it. I was still me, but with new perspectives. Now I knew I could set a difficult goal and get out there and DO IT. And, I could lift weights like nobody’s business. And, by god, I could run. ME!  Things I never thought I would ever be able to do I was now fully able to. So it did teach me a lot. It tapped me back into my love of learning, and I read voraciously everything I could get my hands on. And I asked a lot of questions. And doubted a lot of shit I read (have you ever looked at the food pyramids that put pasta, bread, etc. as the base for your food choices? Don’t believe that bullshit for a second!). So in some ways it did change me, and certainly for the better, just not in the ways I thought it magically would.